"Sir Georg Solti believed in a guardian angel that guided his life and he was grateful to the agents of that angel-the people who helped him at difficult times.
The Solti Foundation believes that music is essential-especially during these troubled times-to healing and connecting individuals and global lives. Therefore, we are committed to realizing Sir Georg's passion for excellence in music and extending help to further the early careers of those with exceptional talent."
-Lady Valerie Solti
Established in 2000 to honor the memory of the legendary conductor Sir Georg Solti by his widow, Lady Valerie Solti, and their two daughters, Gabrielle and Claudia, the Solti Foundation U.S. seeks to lend significant support to talented young American conductors, providing critical assistance to them at the start of their professional careers.
Application forms and guidelines can be downloaded at www.soltifoundation.us.
April 2011 Announcement
The Solti Foundation U.S.
recognizes accomplishments of four young American conductors
Foundation awards third $25,000 Solti Fellow to Case Scaglione
$5,000 Career Assistance Award to Ankush Kumar Bahl
$3,500 Career Assistance Awards to Sean Newhouse and Ward Stare
Evanston, Illinois – The Solti Foundation U.S. announced today the recipient of its largest monetary award, The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, also known as the Solti Fellow. Among the largest grants currently given to American conductors in the formative years of their careers, the prestigious $25,000 award is given biennially to a single promising American conductor 38 years of age or younger, and includes introductions to three of Chicago’s most prestigious performing organizations: Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Opera Theater. Texas native Case Scaglione, currently the 20th music director of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra of Los Angeles, and formerly honored in 2009 with a Career Assistance Award by the Foundation, is the third recipient of the Solti Fellow in the Foundation’s history. Among his performance credits are the Cleveland Orchestra and the Aspen Music Festival and School. A frequent guest assistant and cover conductor with the St Louis Symphony and David Robertson, Mr. Scaglione has also assisted at the Baltimore Symphony and Baltimore Opera. This summer 2011, Case Scaglione has been chosen as one of only three conducting fellows to participate in the prestigious conducting program at Tanglewood Music Center. He will work with Maestros James Levine and Stefan Asbury.
Three Solti U.S. Career Assistance Awards have been awarded to Ankush Kumar Bahl, Sean Newhouse and Ward Stare. The grants, which vary in amount and number given, were introduced in 2009.
Indian American Ankush Kumar Bahl, currently an Assistant Conductor with the Orchestre National de France, is the recipient of a $5,000 Career Assistance Award. This month, Mr. Bahl was appointed Assistant Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C), beginning with the 2011-12 season. Mr. Bahl is based in New York City, where he regularly works with the conservatories, and regional and professional orchestras in the area, in addition to his guest appearances abroad. Formerly the Music Director of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, Bahl has also worked as an Assistant Conductor with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Youth Symphony. In addition to assisting Maestro Masur at the Orchestre National de France, he has been fortunate to do so at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra as well.
Sean Newhouse, recipient of a $3,500 Career Assistance Award, is the first American-born conductor in fifteen years to be appointed Assistant Conductor to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a position he took up in 2010 at the invitation of Maestro Levine. Formerly an Associate Conductor at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Newhouse began his career as Music Director of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra in Los Angeles. Of note is Mr. Newhouse’s acclaimed last-minute debut with the Boston Symphony this past February 2011, where he stepped in to conduct Mahler’s Ninth Symphony on two hours’ notice in place of James Levine. Among Mr. Newhouse’s conducting credits are the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Silesian Philharmonic, and the orchestras of Cleveland, Milwaukee, Charleston, Springfield and Lubbock (TX).
Ward Stare, currently the Resident Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Saint Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, has also been named recipient of a $3,500 Career Assistance award. Among Mr. Stare’s conducting credits are the Cleveland Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony and Florida Orchestra, as well as a recent debut with the Norwegian Opera. Upcoming engagements include performances with the Toronto Symphony, the Colorado Music Festival and Mr. Stare's debut as guest conductor with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Further details on The Solti Foundation U.S., its past awardees, their biographical information, the Foundation’s Newsletter, as well as application forms and guidelines for the upcoming 2012 Awards, can be downloaded at the Foundation’s website, www.soltifoundation.us. The Solti Foundation U.S. will hold its annual benefit celebration at Chicago’s Casino Club on Tuesday, October 12, 2011.
The Awards
The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award (Solti Fellow) $25,000
Among the largest grants given to American conductors in the formative years of their careers, The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, also known as the Solti Fellow, is a grant of $25,000 that includes introductions to three of Chicago's most prestigious performing organizations: Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Chicago Opera Theatre. Given to an American conductor 38 years of age or younger, it is dispersed over a two-year period. Award Recipients: Anthony Barrese (2007); Erik Nielsen (2009); Case Scaglione (2011).
Solti U.S. Career Assistance Awards
Number and amount of awards vary.
Given annually, the Career Assistance awards (the number and amounts(s) of which are determined at the discretion of the Artistic and Awards Committee), may be used for a variety of career development needs, including transportation expenses, language studiess, the creation of demonstration DVDs and other worthy projects.
Award Recipients: Sara Jobin (2006); James Feddeck (2009); Kelly Kuo (2009); Case Scaglione (2009);
Kazem Abdullah (2010); Christopher Hill (2010); Robert Trevino (2010); Ankush Kumar Bahl (2011);
Sean Newhouse (2011); Ward Stare (2011).
The Sir Georg Solti Emerging Conductor Award $10,000 (To next be awarded in 2012.)
A one-year grant of $10,000, first awarded in 2010 to an American conductor 35 years of age or younger.
Award Recipients: Ryan McAdams (2010).
The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Development Award $5,000 (To next be awarded in 2012.)
A one-year grant of $5,000 given to an American conductor 32 years of age or younger.
Award Recipients: Yaniv Attar (2010) Joseph F. Young (2008).
The awarding of these two grants is rotated biennially with the Solti Fellow.
PAST FOUNDATION AWARDS
The Solti Foundation U.S. Award, $12,500
Eric Melear (2006)
Carlos César Rodríguez (2005)
Thomas Rimes (2004)
The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Grant
Quinn Kelsey (2003)
Stacey Tappan (2003)
Other News:
Two former recipients of The Solti Foundation U.S. awards were selected to be among the six conductors to be showcased in the 2011 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview this past February 17-18, 2011 and hosted by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
The event takes place every other year in partnership with an American Orchestra.
Robert Trevino, Associate Conductor, New York City Opera (2010 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Awardee)
and
Joseph Young, Assistant Conductor, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra (2008 Solti Foundation Career Development Awardee)
were among the six winners chosen from 150 applicants.
Board of Directors
Valerie Solti, Honorary Chair
Richard Gray, Chair Emeritus
Thomas B. McNeill, Chair
Kay Mabie, Vice Chair
Gretchen Zook, Treasurer
Owen Youngman, Secretary
Elizabeth Buccheri
Michelle Miller Burns
Tessa Craib-Cox
Dietrich Gross
William R. Jentes
Nancy Kempf
David McNeel
Stephen Potter
Deborah Rutter
Gabrielle Solti
Penny Van Horn
Duain Wolfe
Honorary Board Member
Sel Kardan
Artistic and Awards Committee
Elizabeth Buccheri, Chair
Phillip Morehead
Duain Wolfe
Administrator
Fiona Queen
Public Relations
Grant Communications
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